Ellie was sick enough that we skipped church a week ago. She arranged her throw-up bowl, water, and tissues just so on the stool. Everything was in easy reach.

One of Ellie's favorite things to do lately is to take pictures. And I love that there are pictures of her on the computer screen in the back.

The girls are loving this show called "Bet on Your Baby." It's a pretty inane game show with 2-3 year olds playing games, and their parents have to guess if they can complete a specific task. We are having fun replicating some of the games.

One of the games had a little girl blow bubbles in milk until they came over the top of the cup. We have the same cup, with a different lid, and Lynnie has been blowing bubbles in water for days now.

Clayton asked me to be a last minute substitute and take prom pictures of his group. We headed over to his friend's house, and found this delightful property, in the middle of Lehi, with a stream and a pond and trees and a log cabin house. It was down a gully on a private drive, and who knew it even existed?

The lady they had originally booked (but who wasn't communicating with them) showed up, so I was off the hook. I did take a few pictures of Clayton and Matteo. Had to do that!

Lynnie was fascinated with the goldfish swimming in the stream.

We had some beautiful weather and the girls were playing in the backyard. When they came back in, Ellie stepped on the metal threshold of the doorway, and said it was really hot and she needed a band-aid. She has learned how to rip the child-locks off of the doors, so she ran to my bathroom, took off the child-lock, and got the band-aids.

I helped Lynlee go potty and told Ellie to go ahead and get her band-aid on.

Saturday, April 27, 2013

I know I take a lot of pictures of the girls when they are awake and doing things, but why do I feel like I take an inordinate number of pictures of them asleep? Maybe it's because they are just so darn sweet and squishy when they are asleep.

Here are my latest offerings:

Ellie must have been worn out from playing at the park, and she fell asleep during quiet time.

In the middle of the floor.

Lynnie fell asleep in the car on the way to Hobby Lobby. At 11 in the morning (not usual for her). The carts are so small there that I had to kind of prop her up. She only stayed asleep for a minute, just about as long as it took to take this picture. As soon as we started moving she opened her eyes right up, happy as a clam.

We love meeting Tanya and her children at a NAET appointment every week. It is always fun to play with Andrew and Emily in the pirate room.

I was texting with Lynnie's birth mom while I was waiting to go in, and she asked for some pictures. I said, "Lu, {M} wants a picture of you. Say cheese!"

Lu said, "noooooo."

Ellie said, "you can take a picture of me!"

Lu thought it was pretty funny to walk around with buckets on her feet.

And she is wearing a Kiki dress. From The Fresh Beat Band, of course.

In case you were wondering.

We had a wonderful week with Rod, Jayme, Jasmine, and Byron staying with us. They were the nicest house guests ever! The kids played in the mornings and then they left til all hours of the night. We never even fed them dinner.

Jazzy and Ellie did each other's hair. And then Lu wanted her hair done as well.

All of this playing with cousins led to an early bedtime on Thursday. Both asleep at 6:49 p.m.

And Ellie is in her dinosaur sleeping bag, because Greg is camping at Wood Badge. She wanted to be camping as well.

When it was time to say goodbye, I realized I hadn't taken any pictures. Mini-Rod was not so happy about me trying to get a last minute picture.

We love our cousins! I love that Ellie and Lulu have cousins their ages to play with. One of my greatest fears during the waiting-to-start-our-family years was that IF we ever had children come to our family, they would be all alone. An unfounded fear, it turns out, and that is a tender mercy.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Bobi's children keep on selling us a family portrait sitting as a fundraiser for their choir. I think I paid for 3 with Adam, and never made an appointment to go in. This year, when I bought one from Lyssa, I decided we had to do it.

Never mind that we had to drive to Magna.

Twice.

It was a great adventure!

On picture taking day, we left around 4:00 to make it to our appointment.

The girls and I went back 2 weeks later to pick up the prints. I really only liked the one of the girls together, but bought the package anyway. That was the only way I could get the disc and the copyright clearance to post pictures on my blog and print more copies.

The disc finally came in the mail today.

The other shots have grown on me. We have only done family pictures with a personal photographer, either at our house or outside, so it is good to have a set of the posed, formal shots.

I testify that the tender mercies of the Lord are real and that they do not occur randomly or merely by coincidence. Often, the Lord’s timing of His tender mercies helps us to both discern and acknowledge them....I believe I have come to better understand that the Lord’s tender mercies are the very personal and individualized blessings, strength, protection, assurances, guidance, loving-kindnesses, consolation, support, and spiritual gifts which we receive from and because of and through the Lord Jesus Christ....When words cannot provide the solace we need or express the joy we feel, when it is simply futile to attempt to explain that which is unexplainable, when logic and reason cannot yield adequate understanding about the injustices and inequities of life, when mortal experience and evaluation are insufficient to produce a desired outcome, and when it seems that perhaps we are so totally alone, truly we are blessed by the tender mercies of the Lord and made mighty even unto the power of deliverance (see 1 Ne. 1:20).

David A. Bednar, “The Tender Mercies of the Lord,” Ensign, May 2005, 99

Links

CI Blogs

About Me

I have been married to the most amazing man since 1994, and we have added three beautiful girls to our family through the miracle of adoption. Tender mercies abound in our lives, and I love to look for them and be grateful for our blessings.